


Unfit

by Tybir



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: Angst, Cuddles, Dragon!Khadgar, Drugs, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Nudity, khadgar is a dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 08:49:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7501869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tybir/pseuds/Tybir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khadgar doesn't want to be the new Guardian, and Lothar is determined to find out why. </p><p>This is a branching story with one beginning and multiple endings.<br/>A. Khadgar doesn't think he can abide by all the of rules Guardians are supposed to follow.<br/>B. Khadgar doesn't know how to cope with how he feels, so he turns back to indulging in something not quite legal.<br/>C. Khadgar has a secret and he worries it will prevent him from being the new Guardian. Lothar assures him otherwise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1 - Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 is common to all stories.  
> Part 2A, 2B etc are alternate endings that come directly after Part 1, not each other.  
> If you have any suggestions for more endings, please leave a comment, or write something yourself if you want to collab :)

The announcement of a new Guardian was cause for celebration, but Lothar was surprised to find that Khadgar was not in a celebratory mood. The mage was tucked away in the corner of the inn by himself, nursing a half full mug of ale. Lothar extracted himself from his jubilant comrades who barely noticed their commander leaving, too focused on their merrymaking. Making his away to the corner of the room, Lothar sat down beside Khadgar and placed his own mug on the table between them.

“Nervous?” Lothar asked, a hint of teasing in his tone. Khadgar didn’t even bother to look up, merely shaking his head slightly as he stared blankly at the wooden table in front of him.  
“What’s the matter then?” Lothar pressed, slightly more concerned. Khadgar was usually so confident in spite of his young age, this quiet moodiness was new and Lothar didn’t like it.  
“You don’t have to live in Karazhan if that’s what you’re worried about,” Lothar guessed. Khadgar simply nodded while continuing to stare at the table. Both of them already knew that Khadgar would be staying in Stormwind.

“I know this is big, but it’s something you’ll get used to,” Lothar tried. “Can you at least tell me what’s bothering you?” he continued when Khadgar failed to respond. Khadgar shook his head, shifting his eyes from the table to his mug of ale briefly before standing up.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?” Khadgar finally spoke. Lothar nodded, watching as Khadgar retreated, presumably heading back to his quarters in the castle. With a sigh, Lothar returned to his own mug of ale and briefly thought about finishing off Khadgar’s as well. He’d only had one drink that night so another half mug wouldn’t hurt. Lothar drank it slowly, no intention of getting drunk that night as he had much to think about.

As Lothar made his way back to the castle, he debated with himself about whether or not to check in on Khadgar. The mage clearly wanted to be left alone, but Lothar was worried and Khadgar was young. He really needed to find out what was bothering his little bookworm, so after a moment of indecisiveness, turned on his heel and made his way to Khadgar’s quarters.


	2. Part 2A - Vows

Lothar knocked on the door to Khadgar’s quarters. After a brief pause the door swung open. Khadgar was clearly not expecting company as he had removed his robes and shoes, wearing little more than a loose shirt and some comfortable-looking trousers. He also had a mildly surprised expression on his face, but it quickly turned to a knowing one. It was obvious why Lothar was here. Inviting the commander inside, Khadgar closed the door behind him and sat cross legged on the bed where he had clearly been reading beforehand.

Lothar sat down beside him. “So, ready to tell me what you’re worried about now?”   
“I don’t want to be the Guardian,” Khadgar mumbled, fidgeting with the cloth of his trousers.   
“I did notice,” Lothar said with a small grin, nudging Khadgar’s shoulder in an attempt at cheering him up. “So how about you tell me _why_ you don’t want to be the new Guardian?”   
“Because it’s not me,” Khadgar replied cryptically, looking up at Lothar with an expression that seemed to indicate he wanted the older man to understand him. He looked rather frustrated, so Lothar gave him a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I just... I like reading and learning and casting spells, and I want to help protect Azeroth, you know that,” Khadgar began. “But I don’t really want... all the extra stuff.”   
“Extra stuff?” Lothar queried.   
“You know, all the extra things that go along with being a Guardian,” Khadgar seemed to have more confidence now that he had sorted his thoughts out and was finally able to air his concerns.   
“You mean...” Lothar began, but stopped when he realised he had no idea what Khadgar meant.

“Guardians are supposed to live alone,” Khadgar explained.   
“You don’t have to live alone, you can stay here. The Queen herself said so,” Lothar reminded him.   
“Guardians can be dangerous though, they have a lot of power,” Khadgar responded.   
“So? You have no trouble controlling your power. You’ve always had a lot of power.” Lothar was confused.   
“Guardians receive extra power though, from the council. If I were to become a Guardian, I would also have additional power. I would need to train, to learn how to use this power, to practice spells. What if something happened?” Khadgar asked, concerned.

“You mean you would gain more power than you currently have?” Lothar asked, surprised.   
“Well, yeah. That’s how Guardians work, that’s why they are among the most powerful spell casters,” Khadgar explained. Lothar thought Khadgar was pretty powerful in his own right, to become even more powerful? He could see the boy’s point.   
“We’ll work something out. I’ll talk to Taria about it. I promise, you don’t have to leave Stormwind, no matter what,” Lothar reassured him.

“It’s not just that though,” Khadgar continued, dropping his gaze to his hands once more.   
“What else are Guardians supposed to do?” Lothar asked.   
“They’re supposed to be celibate,” Khadgar replied with a shrug. Lothar bit his tongue to stop himself from grinning. Was this the primary reason Khadgar was concerned about being a Guardian?   
“Ok... any particular reason for that?” Lothar wondered.   
“In truth, I don’t know,” Khadgar said with a frown. “I suppose they don’t want the Guardian to be distracted by a child if they conceived one. They live alone, remember?”   
“You won’t have to live alone though,” Lothar reminded him.

“I’m sure nobody would say anything if you didn’t take up that particular vow,” Lothar continued.   
“You think so?” Khadgar asked.   
“Of course. It’s not their business,” Lothar decided. “So... is there someone you haven’t told me about?” he continued with a massive grin.   
“Maybe. Maybe there are a few,” Khadgar smiled back deviously.   
“A few?” Lothar raised his eyebrows in surprise.   
“I could never take a vow of celibacy Lothar,” Khadgar continued, leaning back on his hands. “I’ve probably slept with half of Stormwind already and I’ve only been here a few weeks!”

“Half of Stormwind!” Lothar exclaimed.   
“Ok, a minor exaggeration. I’m not proud of it, but... if someone asks for my pants off, I take my pants off,” Khadgar shrugged.   
“Oh really?” Lothar asked with a cheeky smile.   
“Yeah, I can’t get enough of it,” Khadgar blushed slightly but his own grin remained in place.   
“Ok then. Take your pants off,” Lothar instructed.

He was half surprised when Khadgar immediately stood up and without any hesitation whatsoever, pulled off his shirt, pants and underwear in quick succession, dropping them all to the floor beside him. Lothar sat up straighter and blinked, unsure of where to look now that he had a completely naked Khadgar standing directly in front of him. Khadgar casually leaned back against the chest of drawers behind him and cross his arms, a smug grin on his face. “Like what you see?”

Lothar could only nod.


	3. Part 2B - Cope

Lothar knocked on the door to Khadgar’s quarters. On hearing nothing on the other side, he knocked again, and received a mumble from the other side of the door for his efforts.  
“Who’s there?”  
“It’s Lothar, can I come in?”  
“Hmmm, not now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Khadgar’s voice was different, but Lothar wasn’t sure how. His speech was slower and lazier than usual, but didn’t quite sound like sleepiness. Lothar almost walked away, but an odd feeling came over him and he decided to enter the room anyway.

Opening the door, Lothar wasn’t sure what to expect but it definitely wasn’t the sight in front of him. Khadgar was lying on his back on the bed wearing only a thin shirt and shorts, his arms and legs flopped lazily beside him. His eyes were glassy and he had a dazed look on his face. He sluggishly turned to look at Lothar, frowning at the sight of his friend.  
“I told you not now, go away,” Khadgar mumbled, making a feeble attempt at a gesture with one arm.

Lothar closed the door behind him and moved over to Khadgar, nose twitching slightly as he tried to determine the odd smell in the room. He realised what it was the moment he spotted the bowl on Khadgar’s side table. Ignoring the mage for the moment, Lothar strode purposely towards the bowl and picked it up, inspecting the last leafy remains in the dish before fixing a surprised look at Khadgar, who at least had the decency to look ashamed.

“Inhaling hallucinogenic herbs Khadgar? You know these aren’t legal in Stormwind, and for good reason. I’d find it hard to believe if they were legal in Dalaran either,” Lothar said as he placed the bowl back onto the side table. Khadgar’s nostrils quivered, and for a brief moment Lothar thought the boy might cry, but the slightly dazed expression returned shortly after. Khadgar turned his head away from Lothar, clearly not wanting to hear whatever lecture he was about to receive.

Lothar sighed. “How long?” When he received no answer he sat carefully on the bed beside Khadgar and placed a hand on the young mage’s shoulder.  
“Come on Khadgar, you can talk to me. I’m your friend. I can help you, but you have to be honest with me. How long have you been inhaling this stuff?”  
“2 months after I left the Kirin Tor,” Khadgar said quietly, refusing to look at his friend.  
“All this time? Even when we were fighting the orcs?” Lothar was confused, Khadgar had seemed so confident and sharp, there was no way he was drugged during that time.

“No, I would never take it when I had to be somewhere. I didn’t think I needed it anymore,” Khadgar dared to look up at Lothar, his eyes slightly less glassy than before but he was still clearly dulled by the effects of the plant.  
“Tell me about it. Why did you start, how often did you need it?”  Lothar softened his expression and rubbed Khadgar’s shoulder encouragingly.  
“I was cold and lonely and alone. I was depressed and I didn’t know what to do, I had nobody to help me and I couldn’t help myself. When I found some of the plant growing I knew of its effects so tried it out. It made me feel so good. Like all my problems would just drift to nothingness. I didn’t have to feel so lonely anymore.”

Khadgar halted, clearly having forgotten the second half of Lothar’s question, so the commander repeated it for him.  
“How often?”  
“Every few nights. Then once a night when things were bad. Then I realised I shouldn’t be doing that, so it was every few nights. Then I met you. We were so busy, we had so much to do. I didn’t need it anymore. But then that stopped and I was on my own again and so much has happened, so many people died, and I keep seeing it over and over again in my head. I didn’t know what to do. But I know the herbs. They’re familiar and comforting. I need them to get by. That’s why I can’t be the Guardian. No one wants a herb head for a Guardian.”

“You’re not a herb head, Khadgar,” Lothar said gently. “Everyone feels down sometimes, and you’ve been through a lot. You’re not a trained soldier and we threw you straight into a war then expected you to come home ok, even though you didn’t have a family to support you when you returned. That ones on us Khadgar, not you. I’ve just been so distracted with all that happened, that I didn’t think. I haven’t been here for you but I promise, I promise I will be from now on. You can talk to me about anything, at any time day or night. I’ll help you through this and you won’t need those herbs anymore because whenever you’re feeling lonely, you will have me.”

“Really?” Khadgar asked with a sniffle.  
“Really,” Lothar affirmed. He then remembered the other common effects those particular herbs could have on a person. Khadgar was suddenly in Lothar’s arms, sobbing into his tunic. While the herbs could make someone feel dazed and far away, they could also lower a person’s control over themselves, and under their effects Khadgar simply crumpled. Lothar put his arms around the mage and held him tightly, whispering soothing reassurances into his ear.

It wasn’t long before Khadgar slumped in his hold, and Lothar realised that the mage had passed out. Lothar managed to place the boy back onto the bed and get him under the sheets, tucking him just like he used to his son when Callan was little. How he missed his little one. Callan had always been a strong boy, but he had always had Lothar to care for him. Khadgar had had no one, and Lothar was determined for that to change. He would keep his promise to be there for Khadgar when the mage needed him.

That was the last night Khadgar ever inhaled a hallucinogen. He had been tempted on a few occasions, but had instead crawled into bed with Lothar and wept in his arms, crying in frustration about how he felt and what he had seen, how unfair it was that so many good people were dying and how utterly hopeless everything seemed. Lothar would hold him tightly, comforting the young mage until he fell asleep, then they would rise the next day feeling ready for anything.


	4. Part 2C - Inhuman

Lothar knocked on the door to Khadgar’s quarters. Greeted by silence, he knocked again.  
“Go away.”  
“It’s just me,” Lothar called through the door. When he received no reply, he opened the door and bit his lower lip slightly to stop himself smiling. Khadgar was lying on his back on the bed in his nightclothes, and the expression on his face could only be described as sulky. The future Guardian of Azeroth was sulking.

“What’s the matter Khadgar, tell me,” Lothar implored as he settled himself on the end of the bed next to Khadgar’s feet. “You don’t want to be the Guardian. Why?”  
“I can’t be the Guardian,” Khadgar mumbled, fidgeting with the sleeve of his nightshirt.  
“Why not?”  
“Because you won’t want me to when you know the truth.”  
“I highly doubt any secret you’ve kept from us could be that bad,” Lothar said kindly, giving Khadgar a gentle nudge on the foot. Khadgar sat up in response, sitting cross legged beside his friend.

“But I lied to you.” Khadgar looked so forlorn, his sad eyes appearing so large in his face. Lothar felt a sudden urge to wrap the young mage in his arms and hug him.  
“Well, now’s a good time to tell the truth. I won’t judge you Khadgar, not after what we’ve been through together. I know who you really are, and I assure you that nothing you say could change that,” Lothar reassured his friend. His words were confident, but in the back of his mind he couldn’t help worry about what kind of secret Khadgar was hiding that the boy thought was so serious.

“But that’s just it. You don’t know me, not really. You don’t know what I really am,” Khadgar insisted.  
“You’re a very kind, very talented young mage. Is that not true?” Lothar asked gently.  
“I suppose,” Khadgar cocked his head thoughtfully.  
“Why don’t you tell me your little secret then?” Lothar prompted.  
“Do you promise if I tell you, that you won’t tell anyone else? Especially the Queen?” Khadgar asked quietly.  
“You have my word Khadgar. I won’t tell a soul.”  
“I’m... I’m not a human.”

“Not a human?” Lothar repeated, confused.  
“No. I’m a dragon,” Khadgar admitted.  
“A dragon?” Lothar couldn’t suppress a grin. “Come on Khadgar, stop fooling around.” His smile faded slightly at the hurt expression on Khadgar’s face.  
“I’m serious. My name is Khadragos, I’m a member of the blue dragon flight, though I’ve never flown with them before. I was stolen by a human as an egg and sent to the Kirin Tor once they realised I had magic. I had to hide who I was so I wouldn’t get in trouble or get hurt. I spent my whole life growing up as a human so I don’t really know how to be a dragon. But dragon blood flows through my veins and now I am of age, I must turn into my true form sometimes. I don’t know anything about it though,” Khadgar explained, growing teary as his story ended.

Lothar simply blinked, stunned. “How... how big of a dragon are you, exactly?” Lothar had expected the mage to estimate, perhaps in reference to a horse or gryphon or even a house. Dragons could grow large. He did not expect Khadgar to simply change form on the bed right in front of him. If Lothar was stunned at the news, he was speechless at the sight of the creature before him.

Khadgar had said he had just come of age, but it was likely he would have more growing to do judging by his current size, or lack thereof. At the size of a large dog, Khadgar could just fit onto the bed, though his head was so close to Lothar that the commander could see the variety of colours dancing across each individual scale as the light reflected off his form. Despite his relatively small size, Khadgar was by no means unimpressive. With icy crystal-like horns, softly glowing eyes and runic markings on his shoulders and rump, Khadgar was without a doubt the most beautiful creature Lothar had ever seen.

Entranced, Lothar reached out a hand and gently rested it on Khadgar’s surprisingly soft blue face. The dragon closed his eyes and mewled in response, pressing against the hand and trying to rub it like a cat might. Khadgar moved forwards slightly and proceeded to rub his face against Lothar’s shoulder.  
“You smell so friendly,” Khadgar said, his voice no different to when he bore a human form.  
“Um, thanks?” Lothar asked, smiling as the rather adorable little dragon moved even closer and leant against him.

“This is amazing. You’re amazing,” Lothar couldn’t help telling the beautiful creature in front of him.  
“I don’t know how to dragon though,” Khadgar admitted, his eyes looking sad once more.  
“You look pretty dragon to me right now!” Lothar exclaimed, unable to stop from running his hands over the smooth blue scales on Khadgar’s back. He knew he shouldn’t be so hands on with his friend, but Khadgar was practically in his lap at this point, so the attention was clearly not unwanted.

“I don’t know how to fly, or breathe flame, or any of the other things. Can I eat as a dragon? What should I eat? How do I stay clean? If I get hurt should I shift form or is that bad? How do I find a mate? How does that work? What if I can’t find one? How do I fight as a dragon? What if they want me to fight as a dragon? I will be a big target up there, and I don’t even know how to fly!” Khadgar became increasingly distressed, his tail whipping around behind him on the sheets.

“Surely there are books on this?” Lothar suggested.  
“I haven’t had time to look,” Khadgar admitted sheepishly. “Dalaran had some books but they are written from a human perspective. Dragons are supposed to learn these things from their parents.”  
“How about tomorrow morning we go to the library and see if we can find anything. Then we’ll find somewhere safe for you to practice things like flying and breathing flame. We’ll learn all about dragons together, just you and me,” Lothar promised.  
“And you’ll tell nobody?” Khadgar asked, shifting back to his human form again. He was still pressed against Lothar, who continued to rub Khadgar’s back encouragingly.

“You know Taria would never exploit you. She won’t make you fight as a dragon if you don’t want to. She can help us, and she is very discreet. If you don’t want me to tell anyone then your secret is safe with me, but it would be really helpful if we were to tell my sister about it,” Lothar said gently.  
“If you think so,” Khadgar responded, a doubtful look on his face.  
“I know so. We’ll talk to her tomorrow. Everything will be ok, alright? Trust me,” Lothar assured him.  
“Ok. Thank you, for everything,” Khadgar smiled sleepily.  
“What are friends for?” Lothar grinned, hugging the young mage tightly. 

The next few months were busy for both Lothar and Khadgar. Hidden away in a private part of the castle set aside for them by Taria, they spent their days studying books, trying new things and training. Lothar had taken it upon himself to teach Khadgar everything he could. He watched patiently as Khadgar flapped his wings experimentally, and held the little dragon’s snout to keep him steady as he learnt to hover.

He did his best to guide Khadgar’s steering ability in flight, putting his knowledge of Gryphon flying to good use, but Khadgar was rather clumsy for a dragon and had a habit of flying into walls, floors, ceilings, Lothar, and even himself somehow. Dragons most likely learnt how to fly by imitating their parents and through a lot of practice as whelps, but Khadgar had never had the opportunity to fly as a whelp when it was much easier to steer.

In the end Lothar suggested trying a bridle and lunge line so that he could provide more hands on guidance. To his surprise, Khadgar was able to summon both a saddle and bridle during his shift, although he looked too small to carry an adult on his back despite his recent growth spurt.  
“You can summon tack but not fly?” Lothar had asked, surprised. He’d received a wing in his face in reply.

After Khadgar learnt to fly, both with Lothar guiding him and then on his own, he turned his attention to the art of breathing flame. There was little Lothar could do to help Khadgar in this, but fortunately the mage seemed to pick up the talent on his own. His first attempt resulted in a burst of frost. In only took a few days for Khadgar to master the production of both arcane fire and frost, and Lothar couldn’t help laughing when the little dragon puffed out his chest in pride at his accomplishments.

Khadgar began practicing spell casting in dragon form, and taught himself a few new spells that could come in handy on a battlefield. Lothar designed plate armour for Khadgar, sketching it with the mage’s assistance as Khadgar was much better at drawing, and the dragon was then able to summon it during shift. While they did not discuss Khadgar battling as a dragon, they both felt it prudent for the mage to learn how to defend himself should the need arise. Somewhere along the line they shifted their focus to offense, and after many months Khadgar became a highly proficient battle dragon. They even practiced Khadgar shifting between forms as needed while they acted out mock battles.

While Khadgar could very much eat and sleep while in dragon form, it was easier for him to do so as a human. He ate less to feel full, and was concerned that he might outgrow his bed as he had no idea how big he would end up once fully grown, nor when that would occur. When it came to injuries, Khadgar found his dragon form to be rather resilient and more capable of healing faster. Accidents that occurred during their training were few and far between, but they did occur and Khadgar was able to bear them better as a dragon. Shifting between forms did not seem to exacerbate the injuries, though he did find it harder to shift when hurt.

The only problem they had been unable to deal with was Khadgar’s desire for a mate. Or more specifically, for mating. Khadgar appear to go through some kind of heat, and his desire grew in intensity rather quickly. It was too distracting for him, but Lothar’s admonishment at his lack of attention to their training was ignored in favour of pushing the man over and nuzzling his chest frantically, heat pouring off Khadgar’s scales. Lothar was stunned at this new development, and even more stunned when Khadgar shifted back into a human.

Lying atop the Lion of Azeroth, Khadgar’s eyes were glazed over with lust and his lips were all over Lothar, kissing his neck, his cheeks, his lips. Lothar was concerned about taking advantage of his friend, but Khadgar was moaning his name and telling him how much he loved him and wanted to be with him forever and Lothar just melted into the mage’s embrace. Not one to remain passive, Lothar flipped the young mage over and kissed him passionately, glad that their training hall was private. He had both of them stripped in a matter of moments.

Lothar wasn’t sure what to expect out of mating with a dragon, even one in human form, but Khadgar was the perfect mixture of gentle and enthusiastic, cuddly and passionate, loving and giving. Their bodies fit together like they were made for each other, and Lothar thought his heart might escape his chest with how strongly it beat. He was completely and utterly in love with Khadgar, and the way the mage looked back up at him told him that the feeling was mutual.

They lay together in the warm afterglow in a soothing silence, their loving hands gliding gently over smooth skin as they simply held each other. Despite the evening being early, Khadgar drifted off into a contented sleep. After reluctantly extracting himself from the mage, Lothar dressed himself before attending to Khadgar, waking the young man in the process but the sleepy mage seemed to have no qualms about being dressed. Gathering his mate in his arms, Lothar carried him back to the commander’s own quarters where they snuggled into bed together. That was when Lothar learnt that even in human form, dragons could purr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fw_feathers (arcane_renegade) drew this amazing picture for my story!  
>   
> <http://arcane-renegade.tumblr.com/post/147622964838/inspired-by-unfit-by-tybir-i-read-the-words-at>  
> Thank you so much for this beautiful gift, I love it!  
> 


End file.
